But there will be some differences this time around. From the very first symptom to finally meeting your little one for the first time, there are many milestones along the way.
Learn more about these…. A molar pregnancy is one in which a healthy baby can't develop. Although easy to treat, this condition can be incredibly hard to face. We'll tell you…. A new study finds that epidurals do not affect child development in their later years. A fetal arrhythmia is an irregular heart rate — too fast, too slow, or otherwise outside the norm.
It's often benign. Postpartum diarrhea after a C-section is normal. Sharing our experiences of pregnancy and infant loss can help us heal. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. What causes false pregnancy? What are the symptoms of a false pregnancy? Other symptoms can be just as difficult to distinguish from those experienced during an actual pregnancy, and can include: morning sickness and vomiting tender breasts changes to the breasts, including size and pigmentation lactation weight gain labor pains inverted bellybutton increased appetite enlargement of the uterus softening of the cervix false labor These symptoms can be so believable that doctors can even be deceived.
Is there a treatment for false pregnancy? How common is false pregnancy? Bottom line. Share on Pinterest. It now only occurs in around for every 22, births. This could be when a woman experiences a strong desire to be pregnant, either because of infertility, repeat miscarriages , or impending menopause. This can cause the body to produce symptoms similar to those of early pregnancy which the brain then confuses with real pregnancy signals and begins releasing hormones that lead to further pregnancy symptoms.
Often a phantom pregnancy is a sign of an underlying psychological issue, e. In these situations a doctor or health professional will recommend psychological support, including therapy to help deal with the phantom pregnancy and to recover from it.
In other words, a person who suffers from pseudocyesis not only falsely believes they are pregnant, but they must also actually exhibit physical signs of pregnancy. According to The Indian Journal of Psychiatry , pseudocyesis is very rare. Experts are not totally sure what causes pseudocyesis. It is often thought of as a psychosomatic condition, where the belief or hope that you are pregnant causes your body to produce pregnancy symptoms.
But in some cases, there are other medical conditions that may cause pregnancy symptoms to be experienced. Here are some of the reasons a person might experience symptoms of pseudocyesis:. Factors that might make a mother more likely to experience pseudocyesis include:.
Pseudocyesis is characterized by the belief that you are pregnant, combined with classic symptoms of pregnancy, including:.
These symptoms can last for a few weeks or for the entire duration of a typical pregnancy nine months. Ultimately, the only way to know for sure if someone is experiencing pseudocyesis is to administer a pregnancy test or ultrasound. The most definitive test to check for pregnancy would be an ultrasound that checks for the presence or absence of a developing fetus. If it is shown through testing that a woman is not in fact pregnant, yet she believes she is and also is experiencing symptoms of pregnancy, she will likely be diagnosed with pseudocyesis.
If the absence of a pregnancy is confirmed, but concerning physical symptoms linger, other testing might be administered to rule out other medical issues, such as hormonal imbalances or tumor growth.
In most developed countries, pseudocyesis is rare simply because when a woman suspects she is pregnant, she goes to a gynecologist who can administer tests to tell her whether she is experiencing a viable pregnancy. However, pseudocyesis may be common among women who are experiencing psychological disturbance, regardless of their socioeconomic status or access to gynecological care.
For some people experiencing an episode of pseudocyesis, testing results or an ultrasound that tells them they are not pregnant is enough to make many of their pregnancy symptoms diminish, especially if they are not caused by other medical issues. In this case, they may need to be under the care of a psychiatrist or psychologist. In some cases, psychotropic drugs, in combination with psychotherapy, may be helpful.
The person who is experiencing pseudocyesis usually has a strong belief that they are pregnant, and it can be hard to argue with someone who is actually experiencing symptoms of pregnancy. When it is confirmed that what that person is experiencing is not an actual pregnancy, the grief that comes next may be intense. Sometimes it will be virtually impossible to convince someone who has experienced pseudocyesis that they are not pregnant.
Very often, pseudocyesis stems from the trauma of having lost a pregnancy or having experienced infertility. Pseudocyesis is treatable and can resolve, but it may be painful for the person who is experiencing it as well as their loved ones. So be kind—and also encourage your loved one to seek professional help when the situation warrants it. If you thought you were pregnant, and experienced symptoms of pregnancy, only to find out that you were not pregnant, you may feel emotionally crushed.
You may feel confused and numb. These are all normal reactions to this experience. You truly believed that what you were experiencing was pregnancy, and you may have been aching for a child.
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